KMAC Museum

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KMAC Museum is an American museum located in the West Main District of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, which "explores the relationship between art and craft by identifying art as big ideas and craft as the intersection between process, materials and labor." It is a nonprofit organization supported in part by the Fund for the Arts and Kentucky Arts Council, as well as many public and private donors.HistoryFounded in 1981 by Phyllis George Brown, then First Lady of Kentucky and former Miss America, the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation was started to build interest in Kentucky's rich craft and art resources. With the help of Mary Shands, the start of the center began with ease.In 1984 the organization moved into the lower level of a West Main Street building to have more space for things like a gift shop. When the move occurred the west district of downtown Louisville had low occupancy rates for the buildings. The location of several museums like the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft helped revitalize this area of downtown.Since 1984 the organization has presented hundreds of exhibitions, reaching approximately 100,000 viewers and students annually. By 1991 the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation has tried to be a leader in the community of preserving Kentucky's heritage in its arts and crafts. It has held several promotion events to help improve its goal.Over ten years ago the organization recognized the importance of including educational programming as part of their mission. In 1990 the state's educational system had been restructured resulting in the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). The museum's educational programs are tightly connected to the KERA goals of combining art education with other subjects such as history, social studies, mathematics and language arts. Over the years, their educational programming has expanded and its focus has continued to increase their work with schools in Jefferson County and throughout the state.